A magnitude 5.6 earthquake shook buildings in Taiwan on Thursday morning, as a series of temblors hit the island, causing little damage but possibly portending more seismic activity in the near future.
The biggest of the quakes hit at 10:11 a.m. (0211 GMT) in Chiayi county’s Dapu township at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), according to the Central Weather Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the capital, Taipei, where buildings swayed slightly.
That was followed shortly afterward by at least a dozen smaller quakes in Dapu. All were aftershocks from a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck Dapu on Jan. 21 and sent 15 people to the hospital with minor injuries, as well as damaging buildings and a highway bridge.
No injuries were reported from Thursday’s quake, although crews were dispatched to clear away tiles and signage that had been shaken off buildings. Train service was also suspended for 70 minutes on the island’s north-south high-speed rail while safety checks were conducted, and speeds on slower trains were also reduced.